An Accidental Affair
by Neelie2009
Summary: The story focuses on the awkward state of Jenny and Jethro's relationship in mid-season 5. As they try to repair the past and become friends again they end up "accidently" in an affair yet neither will admit to it. The team will play a small role and some OC as well but mostly Jibbs.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: I just love Jibbs so I had to write another fanfic. I will not be able to update daily as I did with "A Picture Tells a Thousand Words" but please check out that story if you need something to hold you over. My favorite part of the Jibb's relationship is their unspoken understand of each other. Through the sexual banter I feel they connect in a much darker way. I will try to express that in this story. The story takes place mid-season 5 when the writers could have done so much with this story line and instead went in the complete opposite direction and sent it down the drain. FYI – I own nothing except a three and a one year old (hence the strong need to escape via FanFics)

Reviews are welcome.

Chapter One: The Foot Massage

It had been a really long day and Jenny Shepard was exhausted. To top it all off, the new shoes that she absolutely fell in love with at first site were killing her feet. They did look amazing but it was going to be a short lived relationship. She needed heels that she could spend 12-15 hour days in and she barely made it through today without running home to get another pair.

It was a shame about the heels, they were light blue and gray platform heels that looked amazing with her light gray skirt suit and her blue satin blouse. The shoes now lay under her coffee table, the suit jacket hung over her office chair, and she sat on the couch in her office with her aching feet curled under her. She should just go home, it was 7pm anyway and the files she was reviewing could be done from the comfort of her study but she was actually dreading putting the heels on to walk to the parking garage.

She was reviewing the forensic report on Gibbs' team's latest case. It was fast approaching the "cold case" status if they didn't get another lead soon. While she was reading the report her mind started drifting to the strange relationship that she and Jethro had landed at. It seemed that over the span of a few years they had been all and then nothing to one another. Nine years ago they had the most passionate relationship she had ever had with anyone. Maybe it was enhanced by the mystic and excitement of being under cover on black-ops together but since she walked out on Jethro in France, she had never, never felt the same passion for any other man.

There had been plenty of guys in between, some getting as far as leaving a toothbrush at her place, but physically and mentally she had never found an equal to him. For years that didn't matter, her primary focus was her career and then when the opportunity presented itself, avenging her father. Men were something she could worry about later. Now, however, was later.

"The Frog" was dead and she had risen all the way to the top of NCIS. Instead of feeling satisfied, she was left feeling empty and alone.

When she first was appointed director, she and Jethro had fun with flirty banter at work. In the beginning, she was pretty sure he would jump back in with both feet if she let him but she needed to create some boundaries so she could excel at her position without the rumors and innuendos concerning her relationship with one of her agents. Then he returned from his Mexican mid-life crisis and she was in way too deep with avenging her father's death. Tony's undercover opp exploded in her face and that flirty banter between then turned to anger and mistrust.

Of course, there was the little problem of Colonel Hollis Mann as well. Jenny never realized just how much it would bother her to see Jethro happy with another woman. Somehow in her head, he either needed to be moody, abrasive, and alone or happy and content in her company. It hurt to see him laugh and flirt with someone else. Now Mann was retired and living in Hawaii, she thought maybe now it was time to extend the proverbial olive branch to Jethro.

He had come by the other night, Jenny was watching a little boy whose father Gibbs' team was investigating and they didn't want him to end up in social service. Gibbs came by to check on them and Jenny told him "a few years ago I would have asked you to say and I wouldn't have taken no for an answer." She was feeling him out, trying to decide exactly where they stood and whether he would be open to returning to their sexual charged confrontations.

His resounding "no" made it pretty clear where they stood. She just didn't know how much it would hurt her. It was like they were now simply co-workers. Everything from the past was gone. She knew it was her fault, and that made it hurt all the more.

Her door suddenly burst open and who walked in but the man himself. At least he hadn't starting knocking on her door, then she really be depressed. He looked over at her office chair and finding it empty, he scanned the room. His face expressed pure shock when he was her curled up on the couch.

"you ok?" he asked.

"Feet hurt" she replied as she picked up one of her new heels and held the ankle strap by her index finger in front of her face.

He grunted in acknowledgement. That is the other thing she liked about him, they could have an entire conversation with looks and grunts. Crap, now she was thinking about how he grunted during sex and she was having problems maintaining eye contact. She threw her head back on the couch to look at the ceiling as she said "What can I do for you Jethro?" She rolled her neck to the side as she watched his expression.

He just kind of looked at her. She recognized the look. His case had hit a dead end and he needed a new pair of ears. He summed it up in one word "Cunningham" he said with exasperation. Only Jethro could sum up a paragraph of feelings in one word. Cunningham was a navy seal and the murder victim in the latest case. The forensic evidence had led nowhere.

Jenny motioned to the seat on the couch next to her and said "start from the beginning."

Jethro was grateful for her help, he did, however, come here as a last resort. While he enjoyed her company and still missed her as a field partner, her company also brought up too many old wounds. First, she walked out on him in Paris, and second she lied, kept secrets from him, and ran one of his team members over the coals during her relentless pursuit to avenge her father's death.

If he took a broader view of her behavior he would of course see that she acted exactly as he had done in the past and that just made it all the more unpleasant to be around her. He couldn't even justify his anger because he was being a hypocrite. He had walked away from more than one relationship post Shannon for little or no reason and he had also kept far greater secrets.

Jethro took his seat next to her legs as she unfolded them, rearranged her position and placing her feet on is thighs. He looked over at her, giving her the "what the hell" look. She responded with "usually you come with food when you want my advice but I will gladly exchange that for a foot massage."

He rolled his eyes in annoyance but grabbed the foot closest to him and began running his thumb down the arch of her foot. She closed her eyes and repositioned herself on the couch so that her head rested on the arm of the couch. He started to summarize the evidence in the Cunningham case.

"Victim was found in an alley with two stab wounds to his side. The alley was not the primary crime scene as no blood splatter was found. We have no murder weapon. The wife has motive, as they had a volatile relationship, but she is 5 foot 2 and 100 pounds soaking wet so even if she stabbed him, she still needed an accomplice to move the body"

He moved his hand to encase her foot and he rubbed a little harder with his thumb along the sole of her foot. He continued to go over the little forensic evidence they had gathered as he worked his thumb along the bottom of her foot.

She was listening but with half an ear as she closed her eyes and enjoyed the feeling of his hands on her foot. One of the things that Jethro had above all men was really strong fingers and hands. Years of hand tools and fine wood working left his fingers strong yet gentle. She started to remember the things that his fingers could do to her and that, combined with the pleasure of him stroking her foot caused a small moan to escape her lips.

He stopped rubbing and stopped talking and simply glared at her. She could feel his stare through her closed lids. When she opened them he looked at her with a cocked head an expression that said "someone is enjoying herself"

"What!" she snapped at him. "They really hurt and you are making them feel better!"

"Jenny, are you even listening to me?" he asked

"Yes, Jethro, Just don't stop" she said and laid her head back down on the arm of the couch.

He pursed his lips to suppress the grin that was overtaking his face. It has been some time since she uttered those words to him. As the words left her lips she immediately wanted to pull them back. She couldn't resist the sexual nature of her teasing but this time, she actually didn't mean for it to come out quite like that. She opened her eyes and glared at him saying "you know what I mean!"

He went back to focusing on her foot as she picked up the case where he left off. Jenny interrupted "So, what we need to find out is who Mrs. Cunningham's person is?"

Jethro looked up at her confused. Jenny opened her eyes and saw the bewildered look on his face. She explained "You know, the person she would call to move the proverbial dead body?" Jenny explained

"Well, she's a woman, you tell me. Who would you call to move a body?"

The both looked at each other and were silent for a few seconds, contemplating who each would call and then in unison they said "Ziva" with a smile.

"Since, I assume the background check on Mrs. Cunningham didn't reveal any Mossad Assassin ties, I would move on to ex-lovers?" Jenny said

"ex lovers?" he asked. This time as he rubbed her foot, he snuck his hand all the way up her calf and brought it back down to her heel in one smooth motion. The gesture was intimate but brief and they both carried on as if it hadn't occurred.

"Jethro, if Diane or one of the other former Mrs. Gibbs landed, for argument sake, a seven iron in just the right spot and killed their husband, who are they going to call to help them handle the situation?"

He gave her an evil eye at her reference to Diane almost killing him all those years ago and he thought about her questions. As he did he occupied his hand with rubbing up and down her Achilles. Then he had seamlessly moved from massaging her foot to working on her lower leg. Still, neither made reference to what his hands were doing as they continued their conversation.

He realized she was right. Diane would call either him or Tobias. Instead of simply saying good idea or nice work, he decided to have a little fun with her "Jenny, just how close did you and Ziva get in Cairo?"

She smirked at the jealous tone in his voice "Don't worry, Jethro, you are second on my list." He gave a close lip smile as he started to massage her calf. With his left hand on her calf he flipped open his phone with is right and pressed on of his speed dial numbers. She could hear DiNozzo answer on the other end.

"I want you to track down Maria Cunningham's former boyfriends and have McGee search her phone records for any contact with an ex- lover." He listened to DiNozzo's response and continued to squeeze her calf. She was starting to pray that he didn't walk out now that he had a new angle to work on the case.

"I don't know, DiNozzo, call her family, friends, co-workers and get names. Have Ziva check out the army wives she hung out with. She had to talk about one of her exes with someone!"

"Got it, boss, on it" she heard loud and clear through the phone.

He flipped his phone closed and tossed it on her office coffee table. "What else you got?" he asked.

She lifted her brows as she said "One leg, one lead."


	2. Chapter 2 Let the games begin

a/n: I am trying to make the extra effort to wrote longer chapters so that the story flows nicely but I am a really slow writer! Thanks to Left my heart in Paris, Spookysstarbuck, silkysexybitch, txutxi, and xxhiphuggersxx ,I appreciate that you took the time to write a review. It really motivates me!

**Chapter 2: Let the games begin**

Jethro wasn't sure why he was progressing from her feet to her legs. Well, he knew why but he wasn't sure it was the best idea in the world. He should probably stop and go back down to the bull pen but he really wanted to hear about any other ideas she might have. At least, that is what he was telling himself.

God she had great legs. He pulled her second leg onto his lap and immediately started with the calf. He didn't mean to do it but he had the mental image of her calves wrapped around his back. He pushed those thoughts from his head, that was the past and it needed to stay in the past.

To get back on track he turned back to the case. "The stab wounds would have caused considerable bleeding, we searched his home and car and found no traces of blood. Where the hell was he killed and how the hell was he moved?"

"Was there any trace on the body? she asked

They continued to talk about the case for the next five minutes or so but Jenny didn't come up with any more interesting angles. At a pause in the conversation Gibbs looked over at Jenny saying "It's nice to see you loosen up. I didn't think Jen was still under that director persona anymore."

"Are you calling me a bitch, Jethro?" she said in mock anger.

"If the shoe fits" he countered. Lifting the heel of the foot he had been rubbing.

Jenny narrowed her eyes to look at him, giving him her best pretend aggravated look. "You know, I can come up with a few choice words to describe your recent behavior"

"Oh, I don't think you want to play that game with me" he said

"Bastard, for starters" she continued as if he didn't even speak.

"Bitch" he countered.

"Moody, cantankerous, and, irritating" she continued. Gibbs opened his mouth in fake astonishment.

"That's not very nice Jen, I do have some redeeming qualities" he said

After a pause where she pretended to think hard, "Sexy" she continued with a smile

He gave her a smirk back and simply whispered "Ditto". Their eyes locked for a moment and to break the spell he finished "minus one point for cutting your hair"

With that comment she kicked him playfully in the chest. "Ouch" he said as he acted hurt. Then he picked up her leg again is if he was going to rub her foot and instead he started to tickle it. Jenny squirmed and tried and wrench her foot free but Jethro was not relenting. Jenny couldn't stop herself from laughing saying "Jethro, stop!"

He had a genuine smile on his face. He always enjoyed teasing her. After about 30 seconds of torture she finally sat up, grabbed the labels of his jacket, and said "Jethro, I am not kidding. Please stop!"

Between the begging look in her eyes and the closeness of her breathe on his cheek he was instantly paralyzed. He didn't release her foot but he stopped moving his fingers and for a moment they just stared at one another. His smile turned to a look of passion and fire.

Jenny wanted so badly to kiss him but she was afraid of rejection so she simply stared at him. It was almost like time had stopped. The energy in that small space between them had the power to ignite at any moment. Jethro was practically melting her with his eyes. She could tell he wanted to kiss her too but still she waited. He finally broke the tension saying "This is a bad idea, Jenny." However as he said it, he seemed to inch a little closer and his eyes traveled to her lips.

She quietly whispered "I know" and then closed the gap between them and caught his lips in hers. She kissed him gently, testing the fragile ground. He kissed her back in the same gentle manner. That was until she released the grip on his lapels and her hands traveled up his chest to the nape of his neck.

Jethro was battling with his emotions. He knew what he was doing was a really bad idea and he mentally wanted to slap himself upside the head but when she slide her hands to his neck, his desire for her took over. He released her foot and placed an arm behind her gently lowering her on the couch, never losing contact with her lips.

He kissed her a little harder and when his tongue met hers, they both turned it up a notch. He migrated his kisses from her lips to her neck and ears, all the while running his hand through her hair which had almost grown back in. He used his other hand to keep himself propped up a little so that he didn't crush her with his weight.

Jenny could feel his erection growing as his thighs pressed against her legs. God she wanted so badly to touch him but she knew if she did, there was no turning back. He began sucking lightly on her neck and it was at that moment that her rational self took over and she realized that they were making out in her unlocked office and anyone could simply walk in on them.

She moved both her hands to the front of his chest and pushed ever so slightly. Jethro instantly broke the kiss. They looked into each other's eyes while they took a moment to catch their breath. Then Jethro moved to the other side of the couch allowing Jenny to sit up. He looked away from her as he rubbed his hand through his hair and then over his face, exhaling into his hand. Then he abruptly announced "I better go" and walked straight out of her office without looking back.

She wanted to stop him but she couldn't find the words so she simply watched him walk out of her office. He took out some of his frustration on the door as it slammed shut loudly.

Jenny was so confused, an hour ago she was thinking about how to repair her friendship with Jethro and the next minute she had her tongue down his throat. She had no idea how to interpret the situation.

Jenny remained in her office for another two hours, praying Jethro would leave for the night before her. When she finally gathered her things, she allowed herself a glance at his workstation and all was dark and quiet.

When she got home she occupied herself until well past midnight and then she allowed herself a few moments to think about the day and try figure out what the hell happened and what it meant for the future of their relationship.

The more she thought through it the more reasons she came up with for why this was a very bad move for both her heart and her career. Yet, as she closed her eyes to sleep, she kept tasting his lips on hers and she imagined running her hands all over his body.

The next morning Gibbs was on his way in when his cell phone rang and DiNozzo was on the other end. "Boss, we got a lead from one of the Marine wives, turns out Mrs. Cunningham was seen with an ex-boyfriend at one of the local pubs. We didn't get a name but we got a date and time. Ziva and I got the credit card slips from the owner of the pub and we narrowed it down to three guys. Only one is single and the right age, you want me to pick him up?"

"Bring him in. I'll meet you in interrogation" Gibbs said and hung up. Well, at least now he had something else to think about all day. He spent most of last night working on various woodworking projects however none proved to be intricate enough to keep his thoughts from the little incident in Jenny's office. Eventually he just drank enough to fall into a fitful slumber on his couch.

The case kept the team occupied for the next few days and before either of them realized it, they had gone three days without having to talk to one another. That changed when they gathered enough circumstantial evidence on the boyfriend to ask for a warrant on his home and pick-up truck. He needed the director's signature before submitting it to a judge.

"DiNozzo" he yelled as he walked into the bullpen. Tony immediately shrank back as if expecting a head slap saying "It was Ziva's fault, she is the one that dared me to glue McGee's keyboard" Gibbs had no idea what Tony was talking about but he played it off in his usual "I'm all powerful and all knowing" way.

"Well, then you and Ziva can fight over who takes this file to the director to get her signature for the warrant. The loser then gets to take it to the judge" he finished as he handed the file over to DiNozzo

Tony was a little taken aback "Don't you usually ask for the director's signature?" he asked still holding the file between them. Gibbs grabbed it back, hit him in the back of the head with it saying "and now, you are. It's called punishment for abusing the probie." He handed the file back saying "I am going for coffee" and he exited the building. McGee sat at his desk smiling. Serves Tony right, he thought.

Jenny had been expecting Gibb's entrance all morning. She had her little spies and she knew that the next step in his case would be a warrant. She had spent most of the morning going over what she would say to him and now the anxiety of waiting for the moment for him to burst through her door was killing her.

When she heard a knock on her door she was floored, the kiss was already changing him! However, when Tony walked in and asked for her signature on the warrant she had a different emotion. She was pissed. That chicken shit!

"Tony, tell Gibbs that as lead agent it is his job to present the warrant request. Where the hell is he anyway?" she asked

Tony could tell by the look on her face that there was more going on then he knew about. He and Jenny had been through an interesting relationship over the last three years and he felt he learned a lot about her. When she was first appointed director he had to get used to having a hot women for a boss but after that, he really got close with her. Mostly when Gibbs was on hiatus in Mexico. However, things between them turned cold after the whole Jeanne undercover debacle. Now he was back to feeling uncomfortable around her. When he was uncomfortable, he started to babble.

"Well, he went for coffee but the reality is that well, see first Ziva started saying that I used to be fun and I am not fun anymore, then I said I was, then she dared me to prank McProbie, then Gibbs walked in and as punishment I have to get your signature and Ziva has to get the judges" he finished his monologue without taking a breath.

As he pulled air back into his lungs Jenny shot him a death glare saying "so, what you are telling me is I'm the punishment!"

Tony's eyes got wide as he realized he "overshared" and he took a step back slightly as Jenny came around her desk, pulled the file from his hands saying "If Gibbs wants that damn signature, tell him to get his ass up her and get it himself!"

About 30 minutes later Gibbs barged into her office saying "The Queen summed?"

"Are you embarrassed to talk to me Jethro?" she asked, bluntly getting to the point.

Of course he was embarrassed but he be damned if he ever admitted it. "Jenny, I've kissed lots of women in my life and I am never embarrassed, however ill-advised the kiss. Now will you please sign my warrant so I can actually do my job?"

He saw her neck twitch ever so slightly at the mention of "ill-advised." She thrust the file out towards him and as he walked closer to her desk to retrieve it, she pulled it back slightly saying "We are both professionals, let's forget the mistake and move on."

He grabbed the file from her hands saying "already done, Dir-rect-tor" and again he left having the last word.

He was not out of her office more than 10 minutes when she found an outlet for her emotions. She wasn't sure if it was anger, resentment, hurt pride, or a little bit of everything but his use of "ill-advised" and mentioning the plethora of women he has kissed left her pretty riled up.

As therapy she found herself scanning her outlook contacts of guys she had recently dated or had potential dates with. Then her eyes landed on Brian Donahue. He was in his late-twenties/early-thirties, dark hair, blue eyes, outgoing, funny, and an attorney. Essentially the anti-Gibbs! He was working as an assistant to a congressman.

They met at a charity function last month, on the introduction by the secretary of the navy, and spent most of the evening chatting. He was definitely into her. They exchanged numbers and he had texted her the next day. She hadn't responded because, well she had never been asked on a date via text and she felt it was just an example that he was a little too young for her.

It had been over a month since the charity function and she didn't' know the text decorum but she gave it a go _"Its Jenny S, you still interested in grabbing a drink?"_ and she hit send.

She placed her phone down and walked over to grab herself a drink. She was mid pour of her bourbon when her phone dinged indicating a text. Damn that was fast! Like a school girl she raced over to her phone.

"_Yes!"_ wrote Brian

"_Fri?"_ she responded

"_Sounds great, 8pm? _He wrote

"OK"she responded

_I'll pick you up, work or home?"_ he wrote

This gave her a moment's pause but then she thought, the hell with him, let him see that she kissed enough men in her life too.

"_Work. See u then"_

Friday afternoon Jenny stood in her _en suite_ bathroom in her office. She had just changed into her outfit for the evening, granted it was a few hours early but she was done with her meetings for the day. She decided on a tight black cocktail dress which could be worn pretty much anywhere. She wore 4 inch stiletto heels and kept her hair down.

After spending a few minutes fixing her make-up, she poured herself a glass of bourbon, and sat back at her desk to wrap up the weeks paper work. She was still waiting on Gibbs' final report on the Cunningham case.

They found the primary crime scene when the executed the warrant on the ex-boyfriends place. The forensic evidence collected was a slam dunk but it took a day and a half of interrogation to get the ex-boyfriend to flip on Mrs. Cunningham.

With the case wrapped up, she was hoping to get the file today so she could sign off on it before the weekend. She finally admitted to herself that she dressed a few hours early on the wish that Gibbs would deliver his case report. She wanted to rub it in his face that she was completely unaffected by their moment of indiscretion early in the week.

Jethro had wrapped up for the night and was stepping on to the elevator to go home when out walked a young, wide-eyed man. "Can I help you?" he asked

"Hi, yes, I am looking for Jenny Shepard's office?" Brian said

"I'm Special Agent Gibbs, I can probably help?"

"Oh, sorry, this isn't NCIS related. I'm Brian, I am here to pick her up for our date?" he said.

Jethro was floored. Not so much that Jenny had a date but that he was practically a child! Oh, there was no way he was going home now.

Gibbs put on his gentleman's face saying "oh, please, follow me!"

Moments later Jenny's door swung open and in walked Jethro, when Jenny saw Brain in tow she started to panic slightly. She popped up out of her chair and walked up to Brian, completely ignoring Jethro, and said "Hi Brian" with a seductive smile.

Neither man noticed her panic as they both stood a little stunned at how amazing she looked. She looked stunning and ridiculously sexy. Over the month Brian forgot how hot she was and gave her a warm smile saying "It's great to see you again Jenny"

She smiled back but felt really awkward saying anything more with Gibbs in the room so she slowly turned her head to face him. When he still didn't make a move to leave she said "Agent Gibbs, since I don't' have my file on the Cunningham case, perhaps you should get back to your desk"

Gibbs held his tongue as he was torn between wanted to pin her against the wall and take her right now or simply mock her relentlessly over the young pup that now stood in front of her. Of course, he did neither. Instead, as he walked between Jenny and Brian to leave, he leaned over to Brain saying "be careful, her bark is as bad as her bite" and he walked out.

When Gibbs returned to the bullpen the team was packing it in for the night. However, when Gibbs returned to his desk and put his light back on they all froze, praying they didn't have another case come in.

McGee spoke up first "Boss, I thought you were heading home?" he asked

"I need to stick around for a few minutes. Take your seats for a second, Mrs. Robinson is on her way down" he said with a deadpan face.

McGee looked over at Tony who simply shrugged. Tony assumed an actually Mrs. Robinson was on her way to the bullpen. Never one to miss a movie reference opportunity, he took it upon himself to explain the movie "The Graduate" to Ziva. "It's a classic Ziva, it is every young man's fantasy. A much older woman named Mrs. Robinson seduces a much younger man. Turns out, the younger man ends up scoring with both the mom and the daughter! Really, it was Dustin Hoffman's best work, outside of Tootsie of course" Tony added.

Ziva shot him a dirty look saying "Tony, I find it hard to believe that every young man's fantasy is to score with someone's mom and their daughter". Tony was about to defend himself and go on another tangent when he noticed Gibb's eyes lock on the stairs above him. He turned around slightly and began to stare as well as the hottest pair of legs was descending with some serious high heels and a very short skirt. It wasn't till the pair got a little further that he realized with some shock that it was the director, and she had a young guy in tow.

Tony looked away fast but Gibbs continued to stare. She looked amazing. The black dress went to mid-thigh and when she walked down the stairs her breasts giggled ever so slightly and looked like they were on the verge of popping right out of the top of her spaghetti strapped dress. And those heels! She really was hell on heels. He hoped they were more comfortable then they looked because all of sudden got the suspicion that Brian may be asked for a foot massage later and that just pissed him off. Would she push him off too if things got hot and heavy? Somehow he was pretty sure she wouldn't.

It wasn't until Jenny turned the corner and not so discreetly made eye contact with him that he realized that she was purposely strutting her young boy-toy past the bullpen. Who the hell meets a date a work anyway? So, she wanted to play games. Well, damn it, he thought, let the games begin.


	3. Chapter 3 Light My Fire

A/N: The story is going to turn a little darker here and a little smuttier, but really, that is the fun stuff right! Thank you to missmerrymak, Drawingqueen, Silkysexybitch, geneaLady, and Left my heart in Paris for the reviews. I really motivates me!

**Chapter 3: Light my fire**

For the most part, Jenny had a really nice night with Brian. They went to a swanky restaurant in DC and had nice conversation. Brian came from an Irish-American family and was one of ten kids. Almost every one of them was in some way entrenched in the DC political scene. One brother was a lobbyist, two more were lawyers, and one in the secret service. He had five sisters, one worked for the IRS, one was a professor at Georgetown, two were in the Army, and one was still in college.

Dinner went well and after they met some of his friends at a local pub in Georgetown. The group talked about the latest political landscape both domestic and abroad and which senator supported what bill, etc, etc. Jenny was getting a bit bored as she didn't enjoy politics clearly as much as these young go-getters.

As the night came to a close he drove her home and they shared an intimate kiss but she stopped it there. She wasn't quite sure why but she just wasn't ready to jump in the sack with him.

As she closed her eyes to sleep she started to compare Brian's kiss to Jethro's and wondered why it felt so different. She couldn't reason it out so she turned over a got lost in her dreams.

Monday morning the team strolled in and began their usual banter as they waited for a case to role in. Out of the blue Gibbs said "How is your new place Ziva?"

"It's great! I am really happy with it. I finally have a yard!" she said in excitement. Ziva was really settling in to America and was finally making some more permanent moves. She recently rented a house just outside the city.

"I would love to see it, any chance you can have the team over for one of your home cooked meals?" he said

Ziva was a little taken aback that Gibbs actually suggested a social event but she loved the idea. 'How about Friday?" she asked. McGee and Tony exchanged a strange glance but they all accented and plans were made. Of course Abby and Ducky would be invited too, now Jethro just had to find a way to get Ziva to invite Brian and Jenny.

Jenny sat in MTAC watching the latest operations in Iraq. She was focused on the large screen when her attention was diverted by someone sitting next to her. She looked over and noticed Jethro had taken the seat next to her.

"Can I help you Agent Gibbs?"

As a response he handed over the completed Cunningham file. She took it from him and added it to the pile of files on her lap saying "thanks". She expected him to get up but then when he didn't move she turned to face him "Anything else?" she asked arching her eyebrows.

Gibbs looked straight ahead and asked "How did the babysitting go?"

She should have expected a comment like that from him but still it pissed her off. She, of course, would never give him the satisfaction of showing him her anger. She turned to him saying "those young guys have so much more energy and stamina" and left it up to him to contemplate whether she slept with him or not.

When he said nothing she continued "You'll get to see for yourself next week as I am taking him to Admiral Morrison's promotion gala. I think it is your team's rotation for security detail?"

Shit, he forgot about that. He hated donning the monkey suit for these things, at least he wasn't expected to socialize. Instead, he had to keep his eyes on Jenny the whole night. Usually it wasn't a problem but he wasn't too excited that she had a date.

"Actually, I will get to find out sooner. Ziva is inviting everyone to her new place on Friday night. Unless, of course, you think it would be uncomfortable?"

"Why would it be uncomfortable?" she asked

"Well, you know how these things are. People start swapping old war stories. I don't' want you to be embarrassed when his war stories include frat parties and the college debate team"

"I appreciate the concern, Jethro" she said sarcastically.

He just smirked at her and got up. As he walked out he said "see you Friday!"

Now he just had to tell Ziva to add two more to her table.

Friday night finally arrived after a very slow week for everyone. The team had an open and shut case of domestic violence turned murder while Jenny spent hours in MTAC as the US naval fleet was conducting interesting "exercises" in the South Pacific.

Brian was thrilled to escort Jenny to Ziva's house but when the two of them arrived together Jenny immediately began to feel uncomfortable. For starters, she was the only one with a date. Everyone was gathering around Ziva picnic table except Gibbs who was manning the grill. Typical chauvinist, Jenny thought, thinking the man has to do the grilling.

The beers were in a cooler and Jenny grabbed two as she introduced Brian to the group. Abby was beside herself with excitement over the "new blood" and ran straight over to him to say hello.

Abby was dressed in her plaid platform thigh high boots and her short black skirt with various chains on them. She noticed Brian's shocked expression at her appearance. Jenny didn't really hold it against him as most people had that look when they first meet Abby.

When Abby explained her role at NCIS Brian asked her about testifying in court and what Judges she had met in the process. When she admitted to hating court and never asking or remembering the Judge's names, Brian showed more shock at that then at her appearance.

Ducky came by next and gave him a proper introduction "Hello young chap" he began in his Scottish Brogue "My name is Donald Mallard but please, call me Ducky"

Brian exchanged civilities with Ducky and when Brian mentioned he was an attorney and currently working for a congressman, Ducky launched into a story about his brief stint at political life when he was a young lad in Scotland.

Jenny could tell from Brian's face that he wasn't finding Ducky anywhere near as cute and adorable as the rest of the group. To spare him from further stories, Jenny brought Brian around to meet Ziva.

For the first hour everyone was busy stuffing their faces with food and making polite conversation with Brian. Jenny noticed that Brian didn't really have much in common with the group. She could read from his reactions that he found Abby weird, Ziva intimidating, and Ducky boring. Brian had struck up a conversation with McGee when he found out he went to M.I.T. but after McGee revealed he didn't know either M.I.T. alums Congressman Williams or Senator Martinez, Brian moved on to conversing with Tony.

There was one person there neither Jenny nor Brian had interacted with yet and that was Leroy Jethro Gibbs. Jenny was avoiding him because she deduced from Ziva's expression earlier in the week when she asked about the party that Ziva had never actually invited her. Jethro was up to something and Jenny felt she needed to keep Brian at a safe distance.

That abruptly changed when the grilling ended and Jethro walked over to the pair of them. "So kids" he began "how was the date last week?"

Jenny shot him a mean look but Brian was more than happy to share. One of the things Jenny noticed in her two nights out with him is that he seemed to be a man with no privacy. He talked about everything in his life and asked a lot of questions. Jenny wasn't excited to have the over-sharer discussing their date with Gibbs.

"It was great. We had dinner at the new Paul Monroe restaurant. One of the partners at the firm I interned at got us the reservations, not much political traffic there on a Friday but the food was amazing"

So he was a lawyer and a politician! Jenny had really gone off the deep end. "How was the dessert?" Gibbs continued.

Jenny gave him the death glare knowing exactly what he was asking but naive Brian went right on taking about cheesecake and cappuccinos. "Cappuccinos?" Gibbs interrupted "so you are a coffee guy"

Brian responded "Actually, in the winter I like a nice hot Chai tea instead"

Jethro had to take a swig of his beer to keep himself from cracking up. He shot Jen a look and she was suppressing a smile. Well, at least she was finding Brian as humorous as he was.

As they night moved on, Ziva lite her fire pit to combat the chill in the air. The group brought chairs over and were sitting around the fire pit drinking beer and swapping stories. Brian sat between Jenny and Tony, the only two he felt had anything interesting to offer. Tony had McGee and Abby on the other side, while Jenny had Ducky and then Gibbs on hers. The seating arrangement worked fine for Gibbs, he didn't have to make conversation with Jenny's boytoy, yet he could watch their interaction.

Tony was entertaining Brian with stories from his Baltimore PD days, McGee and Ziva had heard most of the stories but Brian, Jenny, Ducky, and Abby were hanging on his every word. Well, mostly Brian, he asked tons of questions about each and every story. Again, Jenny couldn't help but think about how annoying that was.

Ziva stuffed the cooler with some more beer and then she grabbed a chair and squeezed it between Brian and Tony. Brian politely got up and brought his chair much closer to Jenny's. She smiled sweetly at him and that encouraged him to grab her hand.

Jenny was a little shocked when Brian grabbed her hand, she wasn't terribly comfortable displaying any signs of affection in front of her agents. As she held his hand she started to wonder if Brian could really make her happy. She decided there must be something seriously wrong with her if he couldn't. So he was a little young, men dated and married younger women all the time and no one thought it was a big deal. He was educated, good looking, and a gentleman.

So he asked a lot of questions. He was just trying to get to know her and the group. Jenny had historically been reluctant to open up to men. She vowed to herself to change that.

Brian was now enthralled in one of Ziva's stories from her Mossad days. It ended with her kicking the shit out of four men. Brian then said "Jenny told me your two knew each other before you came to the states, how did you two meet?"

Ziva looked over at Jenny. Gibbs could see a strange shared glance between them. Gibbs kept his face blank but he was very interested in this conversation. Neither Ziva nor Jenny spoke much about those days and no one had the guts to ask. Jenny gave Ziva a silent nod and Ziva began her story.

"I was posted in Egypt as Mossad was working on infiltrating various Hamas cells. I hadn't met Jenny personally yet but I knew we had a NCIS agent undercover pretending to be a contact for an arms dealer in Europe." That comment caused Gibbs to look at Jenny. So, she had started her obsession with arms dealers as soon after she left Paris. Jenny didn't' make eye contact with anyone, she simply stared at the fire.

Ziva continued "We had not had contact from Jenny. The last message we received was the location of a meeting place outside Cairo. Jenny never made contact after the meet and when we checked out the meeting place, non of the locals claimed to have seen a white women in the cafe. We searched the area and found some blood evidence. We assumed her cover had been blown and she was kidnapped"

Brian now looked over a Jenny and squeezed her hand. She forced her lips into a slight smile for him. After a reassuring look to Brian, she turned back to the fire. All eyes moved back to Ziva as no one in the group knew much about Jenny's past. Ducky stole a quick glance a Gibbs and could tell that Gibbs was as much in the dark as the rest of the group.

"Using our intel on potential locations for local Hamas cells we raided the local camps in the hopes of finding her. Eight days later, after numerous raids, we found her.

Ziva paused as if ending her story and for a few minutes no one spoke. The crackling fire sounded deafening loud compared to the silence around the circle.

Gibbs watched Jenny as she continued to stare in the fire. Eight days in a Hamas cell meant most probably rape and torture. He realized now why she never spoke about that time in her life. One one-hand he felt like he barely knew the woman that sat in front of him and on the other hand, he never felt more connected to her in his life. She finally looked up from the fire when Brian gave her hand a slight squeeze and Gibbs could see the hurt and pain in her eyes. That type of darkness stays with you for life. He had felt that pain and he understood that look. It hardened you. It took a piece of your soul.

Finally Brain asked the question on everyone's mind "How did you get out?"

"The only way we could" Ziva responded. Brian looked more confused than ever. He was on the verge of asking more when he saw Tony shaking his head "no" from side-to-side. Abby and McGee seemed to share the same confused look but based on the atmosphere around the fire they knew to keep mute.

Tony and Gibbs shared a look, they knew that they only way out was to kill everyone left in the compound. A truth better left untold.

Tony, ever the gentleman and comedic relief, took it upon himself to change the topic. "Brian" he began "Did you hear about the time I got the Bubonic plaque?"

Brian stared at him in amazement as Tony began his tale of woo. The mood around the fire lightened up. Jenny took the opportunity to detach herself from the circle on the pretense of getting another beer. She walked over to the fence and took a few minutes to catch her breathe. She was about to bend down to grab a beer when a hand shot in front of her holding a flask.

"You care for something a little stronger" Gibbs asked softly. She looked up at him with thankful eyes and silently grabbed the flask taking a welcome swig of bourbon.

Jethro leaned his back against the fence so he was facing the group allowing Jenny a few more moments of hiding. They stood there in silence, alternating sips from the flask. As Jethro watched her face he was taken back to nights in his basement where he was haunted by memories of his past. He knew he couldn't make her forget the memories but he could help dull the pain a little. He knew what she needed and he was very willing to help. He waited till her eyes meet his and he said "Let me take you home tonight"

Her lips pursed slightly as she had to suppress the smile that threatened to overtake her face. Was he proposing what she thought he was proposing? When she didn't respond he propped himself off the fence and took a step back to the circle. As he passed her he leaned over and whispered in her ear "I'll make it worth your while."

He continued back to his chair and Jenny grabbed herself a drink. She didn't' have to feign a smile as she headed back to the circle. She was about to sit down when Jethro announced to the group "thanks Ziva, but I am heading home."

He glanced at Jenny and when she made no move to follow he started to walk towards the back door. Jenny found herself saying, before she even realized what she was doing "Gibbs, can you give me a lift?"

Brian looked up in shock and quickly jumped out of his seat saying "Sorry, I didn't realize you wanted to leave"

"Actually I just got a text and I need to stop by the office. Please stay, I'll text you when I'm done."

Everyone but Brian knew she was lying. Unless SecNav had contacted her there was no need to go to the office at midnight on a Friday and the secretary of the navy wasn't exactly a "Texter". Brian bought it though, and that was all she cared about.

The group all assumed she wanted to high tail it out of there after the Cairo story so as she followed Jethro through Ziva's house, no one was the wiser. Jethro played the part off well, barely looking back at Jenny as they got into his car and sped away.

They rode in absolutely silence. That was one thing they always appreciated about one another, they didn't feel the need to fill the dead air. It was a comfortable silence. Jenny watched the houses and people that sped past her window and Jethro focused on the road. When they got to her place she got out first and he followed her up her walk. As she unlocked her door she reached out and grabbed his hand and walked him into her house and straight up her stairs.

Still, no words were spoken. When they reached her bedroom she stopped and turned to face him. He reached up and cupped her check in his right hand as his left encircled her waist bringing her closer to him. He brought his face down to hers and kissed her gently. She kissed him back as she brought her hands up to his shoulders to remove his jacket. He returned the favor and then backed her onto her bed.

He crawled over her and found her mouth again while she wormed her hands between them locating his belt buckle. When her initial attempts to undo his buckle failed, she started to stroke him through his jeans. He made a soft moan from deep in the back of his throat.

She started to kiss him back harder as she plunged her tongue into his mouth. He knew what she was after. Nothing dulled the mind like a hard fuck and she needed that right now. He took the cue and grabbed the top of her blouse on each side and pulled it open and sending buttons everywhere. She inhaled deeply at the shock and then pressed a hand on his chest and flipped him onto his back.

She roughly pulled on his belt buckle and undid his jeans. He lifted his hips and let her jerk his jeans down. He kicked off his shoes allowing her to pull his jeans and boxers off.

When she got off of him to remove her jeans and panties he stood up and drove her back into her dresser. He lifted her up by the waist and sat her onto of her dresser a she instinctive wrapped her legs around him as he found her opening and thrust into her hard.

She screamed in a mixture of pleasure, surprise, and a little pain as he rammed into her. He freed her left breast from her bra and pinched her nipple hard as he drove into her again. She hadn't been fucked hard in so long that she loved every minute of it.

To encourage him she ran her nails roughly down his back. She was driving him over the edge and he had to use all his power and focus to make sure he waited for her. He worked on her other breast with his hands and tongue and when he drove into her one more time she screamed "fuck" and he could feel her muscles convulsing around him. He finally released on his next thrust and as he came she bit him hard on the shoulder.

The stayed locked in position for a few minuntes as they were both breathing hard. Jethro then kissed her neck and whispered in her ear "I really, really, missed you."

About an hour later Gibbs woke up to the sound of Jenny's phone vibrating. They had passed out together on the bed after going another round. The second time a little less hard and fast. He kept his eyes shut and feigned sleep as Jenny detangled her legs from his and got up to look at her phone.

She whispered "shit" and went out into the hallway. Gibbs assumed it was from Brian so as much as he would never admit jealousy, he strained hard to hear her end of the conversation.

Jenny was so confused and half asleep but she was already feeling the burden of guilt. She apologized profusely for leaving Brian and Ziva's and not texting earlier. He took it in stride which just confused her even more. If only he could be an ass about it, it would help with the guilt.

He reminded her of their date on Tuesday, he was taking her to play opening in DC. Everyone on the hill was considering it a "must see" and Brian got them tickets for opening night. She didn't know how to get out of it, or even if she wanted to get out of it so she consented with "great, I'll see you Tuesday night."

When she hung up the phone she was torn between crawling back into bed with Jethro and running far, far, away. Since it was her house she settled on heading down to her study, she lite a fire and curled up with a glass of bourbon.

What the hell just happened! One minute she was having a nice evening with Brian and then the dark demons of her past took over the night. Before she could say boo she had ditched Brian and was having mind-blowing sex with Jethro.

She was lost in her thoughts when she heard light footsteps come up behind her. She turned around to find Jethro in his jeans and white tee shirt. He was holding his polo and jacket, presumable ready to leave.

She turned back in her chair so that she was facing the fire. When he saw she was still in her dark place he walked up behind the chair saying "Don't' fight it Jen, the pain doesn't go away"

He was about to walk away when she started speaking. She is not sure what possessed her to finally tell her tale out loud to someone, but after so many years, it needed to come out. She knew Jethro could handle it.

"We needed an undercover arms dealer. I had already been studying La Grenuille and was fluent in French so I volunteered. We wanted them to believe that I was his right hand man. However, I was ratted out. I still wonder to this day if it was Ari." The last comment was said softly, almost to herself

"Right after a major arms deal went South, someone leaked faulty intel that I was La Grenuille's daughter. Ironic isn't it." She paused for a moment, apparently enjoying the irony. "No one knew of his daughter. He had kept that part of his life hidden. However, the Hamas cell knew enough to assume I was she and that Jeanne would be the key to his undoing."

"They kept me in a hole for a cell in solitude for a week. I had four guards that rotated watch. When they got bored, they would come in and rape me. In the beginning I would fight and claw but after eight days, it was my ticket out of the dark, rat infested hole"

Jethro closed his eyes, feeling her pain and anguish. No wonder she wasn't the same peppy, joking , and fun-loving young women he knew nine years ago. He felt immediately like an ass for not being more understanding of who she was now, and what motivated her.

She didn't speak for a few minutes and Jethro simply stood behind her chair. He knew there were no words. People always tried with him and he hated them all for it. Eventually she stood up and faced him. She downed the remains of her drink and said "Goodnight Jethro"

She rubbed his arm gently as she left the room and headed upstairs. Jethro took a moment to gather himself then did what he wished so many other women did for him. He left her house and left her alone with her demons.


End file.
